It's been way too long since I have participated in an event to raise awareness and money for something I am passionate about.  Today that changes. 

My goal is to swim a 10k (a bit over 6 miles) in Lake Austin on August 17th, just a few days away! This will be one of the hardest physical and mental challenges of my life.

For those of you who know me well - know that I am a water rat. I have been swimming since I was 4 years old and competing since I was 7 – all the way thru and past college. On top of that I am an avid sailor, having competed throughout high school and then taking my passion to charter boats down in the British Virgin Islands a bunch of times. I coached a swim team for 5 years, lifeguarded for 7 years and occasionally will still help adults to learn to swim better. Throw in windsurfing, snorkeling, tubing, motor boating… well you get the point, if it is on or in the water, I have probably at least attempted it.

The reason I am doing the swim is two-fold. The first is to see if I can do it. A 10k is a long freaking way! If you look at most open water swims, they range from 1-3 miles. This is at least double that at 6.2 miles. Secondly, and more importantly, I am raising awareness and money for Colin’s Hope, an organization dedicated to raising water safety awareness to prevent children from drowning. You can read the story at www.colinshope.org but be prepared to shed a tear because it is heartbreaking. As a lifeguard, I pulled out three people during my career. Two of them were in water where they could stand – the mind plays incredible tricks on you in water and tragedy can strike in an instant. You may not be aware, but drowning is the #1 cause of accidental death for children under the age of 5 and a leading cause for ages 1-14.

Monies raised for the organization go to fund a number of initiatives including:

• Community events and presentations
• School events including service days, health fairs, career days
• Water safety and drowning prevention training for various organization
• Safe Baby University events
• Preschool Swim Safety Program
• Support and restocking of loaner life jackets stations in and around the area

The list goes on and on from Central Texas initiatives to statewide initiatives all the way to national and global initiatives.

I have included a link where you can make a donation if you are interested: https://colinshope.z2systems.com/campaign.jsp?campaign=48&fundraiser=26326&

In addition as an added bonus (and would mean a lot to me), the event starts in West Lake Hills near my house and ends at the Pennybacker bridge – yes the bridge on 360. I am expecting to finish next Friday probably between 11:30-12:00 if all goes well. If any of you would like to come down and cheer me on that would be awesome – get you out of the office for a few minutes and see what it is all about. I doubt there will be huge crowds, but I will know more this weekend as I do a training swim with some of the other participants.

Thanks for your consideration and stay safe out there.

I hope that you will consider sponsoring me!